Chapter 224: The East Palace Internal Guard

Chapter 224: The East Palace Internal Guard

Bei Jingchu stepped out of the room, where a gentle and well-behaved girl stood at the door. Seeing her come out, the girl performed a bow.

"This humble one, Lei Naner, pays respects to Princess Tianwu."

She was dressed in a pure white brocade ruqun, resembling a delicate little white rabbit, soft and tender, evoking pity.

"Hmph, so beautiful. If I didn't remember her as the bully sister, I would definitely have a good impression of her because of her face."

Inside, Lei Nian'er coughed.

Bully sister, Jingchu, what weird nicknames you come up with every day.

"You may rise."

After Bei Jingchu spoke, Lei Naner straightened up and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

"I came to visit my elder sister. I didn't expect Your Highness to be here too."

Inside, Lei Nian'er ruthlessly exposed her: "I've been bedridden for ten days to half a month, and I haven't seen you come by often. Now that the princess is here, you're putting on a show of being a good sister?"

Lei Naner's smile froze.

Bei Jingchu didn't have time to waste on someone insignificant, so she smiled and left.

After she left, Lei Naner didn't go back directly.

Perhaps since she was already here, she might as well go through with the act.

Lei Nian'er didn't know what she was thinking, indifferently watching her enter.

She still remembered, when the late wife had just died, her fear of this younger sister hadn't completely disappeared.

Every time she approached her, even though no one bullied her anymore, she felt phantom pains as if she were being harmed.

She never believed that a natural-born bully could become pure and kind.

Indeed, she hadn't lost her claws; she just found a new victim.

When she was in the palace, her mother had written to her, saying that Lei Naner couldn't bully her anymore, so she started bullying the third sister.

The third sister was even more timid than she had been, never daring to speak out, until she couldn't bear it and attempted suicide, which brought the matter to light.

Father was furious at the time, confining Lei Naner and forbidding her from contacting any of her half-sisters.

How ridiculous, his punishment for her was just confinement.

The third sister almost died, and all Lei Naner got was a ban from contacting her sisters.

Father's favoritism has always been extreme.

Although now she herself is favored, Lei Nian'er will never forget the days and nights before she turned five.

Lei Naner entered with her maid, hesitantly sitting down on the chair. Clutching her handkerchief, she said, "Elder sister, I'm scared."

"Just now, the princess gave me a look that really frightened me."

"I heard she personally supervised the execution, subjecting all the captives to lingchi."

"That is truly cruel and pitiful."

"Death is just a single stroke of the blade; why torture them?"

She looked like she was about to burst into tears, clutching her chest, dressed in a white dress, like a kind-hearted little fairy, her eyes filled with pity for the sufferings of the mortal world.

This made Father believe she had truly changed, that she was now a kind-hearted little girl.

Later, even those who knew them couldn't believe Lei Naner enjoyed bullying her sisters.

But this time, her act of kindness seemed misplaced.

"Naner, speaking ill of others behind their backs, even discussing the princess."

"Go and slap your mouth twenty times."

After saying this, the servants around her closed in.

Lei Naner's companions were useless, and in her panic, her former fierce expression reappeared, threatening, "Elder sister, the Lei family doesn't have rules like this!"

"You're clearly out for personal revenge!"

"Father told us to let bygones be bygones, but you're using his absence to torment me. When Father returns, he will not spare you."

Lei Nian'er was briefly scared by her, gripping the blanket again, her face unmoved.

"Father isn't back yet; you shouldn't be prancing around my courtyard. By the time he returns, I will have already entered the palace."

"Would he dare to come to the palace to punish me?"

"Besides, killing enemies is cruel."

"Tell Father this when he returns; he's at the front, watching soldiers fall one by one to Tunning. Say these words to him when he comes back."

"He'll punish you even harder!"

"What are you waiting for? Take the second lady away."

Her eyes were full of resentment as she was taken away, but Lei Nian'er felt as if a long-standing gloom had lifted.

After seven years, she finally stood up to her former bully.

Because Father wasn't around.

It feels great to have a voice.

Outside the Lei residence, Bei Jingchu had already boarded the carriage back to the palace.

Haoyue, who had been holding back, finally couldn't resist and wanted to share gossip with the princess.

She whispered softly, "Your Highness, I know why the Lei family's aunt dislikes Lei Niangzi and the others."

Bei Jingchu's eyes widened slightly, thinking to herself, "As expected of my little spy, your sources are amazing!"

But outwardly, she remained a composed princess, simply saying, "Go on."

Haoyue, who had long seen through her nature, pretended not to know, quietly went over to whisper in her ear, and Changyan also quietly leaned in to listen.

Haoyue said in a breathy voice, "General Lei's older brother used to be the left internal commander of the Eastern Palace."

"The Eastern Palace... I remember Father was never the Crown Prince, so..."

Haoyue didn't let her guess and directly said, "He was a close confidant of the former Crown Prince."

"Oh... and then?"

Haoyue scratched her head and chuckled, "Then I don't know."

"Alright, political rivals, and now that Father has won, it's normal to have some bad blood."

At this point, Bei Jingchu remembered something: "Haoyue, it seems that since Dayue was founded, no Crown Prince has smoothly ascended to the throne~"

Haoyue: "...Your Highness, since Dayue was founded, there have only been two Crown Princes. Don't make it sound so ominous, like the position is cursed."

"Alright."

After returning to the palace, before Bei Jingchu could sit down, she heard the palace servants announce that Lady Zhou, the County Lady, had been waiting for a while.

She had someone usher her in.

Zhou Huanjiu walked faster than the usher, her skirt fluttering, not exactly the picture of ladylike grace.

Before she even got close, her loud voice was already audible: "You've been avoiding people since you returned to the palace, I was almost worried to death."

"They say you're fine, but someone as lively as you suddenly staying indoors? Saying you're fine is just a lie, isn't it?"

Bei Jingchu: ...Who's like a monkey? Speak properly, please.

Unfortunately, Zhou Huanjiu couldn't hear her thoughts and was unaware of her frustration.

And she also realized she couldn't hear thoughts anymore, which made the problem seem even more serious.

"What happened to you? Did someone put a curse on you?"

"Oh, this is serious. Maybe we should go pray at the Empress Dowager's small Buddhist hall."

"I heard your face was injured too. Take off this blinding mask and let me see, okay?"

Bei Jingchu: "Nope."

"I'm your aunt, you know!"

Bei Jingchu: "Not even if the King of Heaven himself comes."

Fine...

She asked about another matter: "Beiqin asked me to ask you when you're going back to Bo Tang."

Bei Jingchu smirked, baring eight small white teeth, then remembered her mask hid them from view.